“The preparation has been very stressful. You’re up for $1 million, and you only have five days to come up with two routines. Of course, they leave the hardest challenge to the very end when it means the most. It’s nerve-wracking but also exciting because you just have to go into it with the most you can possibly give and hopefully it pays off,” finalist Michael Dameski said.

Along with Dameski, a 22-year-old contemporary dancer from Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia competing in the Upper division, the finalists include Los Angeles hip-hop troupe S-Rank from the Upper Team division, West Covina hip-hop troupe The Lab from the Junior Team division and Charity and Andres, 17, a contemporary duo from Springville, Utah, also in the Junior division.

“World of Dance” features experienced judges – executive producer Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough, plus host/mentor Jenna Dewan – and more than 70 acts from around the globe. The competition, which kicked off in May, has been winnowed down to four performers who will compete in the finals on NBC 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.

The Lab consists of 15 dancers, ages 8-16, and is led by owner and creative director Valerie Ramirez. The group competed in the first season of “World of Dance,” but was eliminated in the third round. The defeat has added to The Lab’s determination to take this second chance all the way to the finale.

“We tried to connect on a deeper level with what this meant to us,” Ramirez said. “When you think of dance and entertainment, there’s a surface level of choreography, routine and the production you put together, but when you can do all those things, no matter what age you are, you are able to connect to something that’s more meaningful.”

Ramirez adds that there are pros and cons to this second opportunity. She looks at the first season of “World of Dance” as a trial run of sorts, as now the team is familiar with the process, the stage and the judges, which gives them a bit of leverage this time around.

“We had to look at it as how do we top their last impression of us,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said that teamwork has been key to The Lab’s success this season, from the kids and their parents to the creative team and directors.

“It really felt good to be this far as a whole unit, because I feel it taught the kids a valuable lesson about leaning on each other and being able to carry weight to help somebody else,” Ramirez said.

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Dameski went into “World of Dance” with “the attitude of doing the best that I can.” He hasn’t been shy about letting his emotions flow during his performances, and it has paid off.

“My strategy is to keep up what I presented in the divisional finals, but in a way obviously different to what I did before the divisional final,” Dameski said. “I want to show the last little ounce of my heart and soul.”

Throughout “World of Dance,” Dameski has drawn on his previous performance experience. He was the lead in “Billy Elliot the Musical” on Broadway in 2008 and won Australia’s “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2014.

“From a young age, I’ve had the experience of performing in front of a lot of people, so I would say I work well under pressure due to that,” Dameski said.

He has also learned to use the audience’s energy to add fuel to his performance.

“‘World of Dance’ has been one of the most challenging things I’ve done in my career in my life to date. It really has opened my mind to all the possibilities and shown me what I’m really capable of. I think the most I will take away from this experience is how much I’ve learned,” Dameski said.

Michelle Mills has been an entertainment and features reporter for the Southern California News Group since 1999. She has interviewed such notables as Weird Al Yankovic, Glen Campbell, Alice Cooper, Debbie Allen, Ernest Borgnine (during an earthquake) and Adam Young (Owl City). She was the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade Queen reigning 2007-2009. She is a professional belly dancer (swordwork is her specialty) and also studies Polynesian and Tahitian dance.